In the mood for French fries? In Palm Beach you can have them with caviar, burgers or solo

Whether packed into parcels at takeout staples or neatly arranged beside fancy entrées in buttoned-up Champagne-extolling fine restaurants, there’s a reason French fries in Palm Beach cross so many boundaries: Who doesn’t love them?

On the island raved-about French fries are offered in a breadth of places — from a decades-old lunch counter to swishy French bistros where fries, known as pommes frites, are prepared in a way that make one beg for more, even if propriety whispers, “Non!”

With Friday being celebrated as National French Fries Day, try these places to start:

GREEN’S PHARMACY LUNCHEONETTE

151 N. County Road

Two blocks north of Royal Poinciana Way, residents, construction workers, coffee-klatch idlers, beachgoers and more relish this nostalgic 85-plus-year-old lunch counter that’s always a world away from Palm Beach glam and social whirl.

Sure, celebrities have been dropping by for years — from John F. Kennedy to Rod Stewart — but mostly because they, too, can’t resist the laidback vibe, blender-whirred milkshakes, BLTs and burgers. And, of course, fries, a staple here since the pharmacy’s lunch counter opened in 1938. Today, the frozen and pre-seasoned fries are always made to order in a bubbling bath of vegetable oil.

“They’re not fancy, but everyone loves them because they love Green’s,” pharmacy co-owner and longtime manager Allen Rutman told the Daily News on Monday.

CAFé BOULUD

301 Australian Ave.

The famed French-American restaurant’s mastermind Daniel Boulud has always maintained that properly made pommes frites are as important to French gastronomy as, say, foie gras or roast chicken.

You can analyze the frites method — soaking potato strips in cold water to remove starch, then blanching in oil before a final fry in very hot oil to crisp the exterior — or you can simply enjoy the frites at Café Boulud. They’re served with a variety of dishes, including a burger, or you can savor them on their own ($14).

Or you can indulge in another French frites classic: panisse, which are chickpea fries ($16) and are equally as popular at Café Boulud.

 MEAT MARKET

191 Bradley Place

No matter how hip and contemporary it is, Meat Market, which also features a variety of seafood, is still a steakhouse — and that means any potato dish better be good.

Sure, you can enjoy the popular Gouda tater tots, but don’t miss the fries, Meat Market fans urge.

Best way to do that? Try daily happy hour, which currently is four hours long (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) with such dishes as a 4-ounce Adobo-seasoned wood-grilled Angus top-loin steak with fries, which are made to order with Kennebec potatoes and tossed in a blend of paprika and salt. “Guests love this menu item, as it is the perfect amount and leaves you satisfied,” Meat Market’s Isabella Denaro told the Daily News on Tuesday.

PICCOLO MONDO

87 Via Mizner

When Via Mizner lunch fans beeline to the takeout window at Piccolo Mondo — a takeout-and-delivery hotspot behind its sister, longtime upscale restaurant Renato’s — sandwiches, pastas, salads and other dishes often come with side dishes, but some folks just want a double order of one side dish in particular: fries.

Sure, they often come gratis with a burger and a few other sandwiches, but ask for an ample order and enjoy them on their own with a friend for a mere $4.28, perhaps seated on a bench in the bougainvillea-filled via.

“We make them to order, but almost always so they have crunch on the outside and softness on the inside,” Piccolo Mondo manager Ale Mencias told the Daily News on Monday. “The secret? Good-quality potatoes and a lot of heart.”

LE BILBOQUET

245A Worth Ave. Via Encantada

One of the signature dishes at chic Le Bilboquet, also known as "Bilbo" and located in the ivy-laced courtyard of Via Encantada off Worth Avenue, is Cajun-spiced chicken (or poulet Cajun).

It’s not just the chicken that is beloved; it’s the frites that are served with the dish. “Our fries are perfectly prepared, crispy on the outside and airy inside with a pinch of salt,” manager Darko Ilic told the Daily News on Monday.

“Bilbo French fries have been and continue to be a staple to any dish, or just on their own,” Ilic said. “Complemented by one of our signature cocktails, it all makes a perfect choice for any occasion.”

Le Bilboquet frites on their own are $17.

BUCCAN

350 S. County Road

Even if you haven’t been to Buccan in Palm Beach, you may know its fries. Perhaps you’ve been to its sister lunch spot next door — Buccan Sandwich Shop — where the popular Wednesday double cheeseburger with Buccan fries is $15.50.

Otherwise, fries are served with a few dishes at Buccan (which has been raved about since it opened more than a decade ago thank to founder/owner/chef Clay Conley) or they are $8 for an a la carte order.

“We serve them with the burger and on their own as a side,” manager Andy Boles told the Daily News on Tuesday. “They are served with Clay’s remoulade. They are delicious on their own and amazing with the remoulade. They are cut in-house, blanched prior to service and tossed with parmesan, salt and parsley after being fried crispy on pickup. In 13-plus years, the fries have not changed and remain a crowd favorite.”

CAFé L’EUROPE

331 S. County Road

If you need further proof that French fries cross all boundaries, one of the most popular appetizers these days at Café L’Europe (with its well-appointed blue-accented interior) is this: French fries and caviar ($42).

Think French fries served with a half-ounce of premium ossetra caviar with dipping sauces. “We like the fries thin, salty and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and truffle oil is optional,” co-owner Emanuela Marcello told the Daily News on Monday.

Pairing French fries with caviar is like pairing “a fancy dress with sneakers,” she said. “It’s casual elegance … The crispy salty fries pair perfectly with the creamy and tangy dipping sauce and the caviar adds that extra layer of flavor and fun.”

LA GOULUE

288 S. County Road

To understand why the French fries — or frites, as they’re known in France and Belgium — are so special at Palm Beach French bistro La Goulue, hear this from executive chef Gwen Le Pape:

“I confirm that we care deeply and take great pride in serving the best French fries, and we handle every serving with much love.”

Whether served with La Goulue’s entrecote or a burger, the bistro’s frites, which are double-fried in the traditional frites method and served hot immediately after cooking and seasoning, are made fresh from Burbank russet Idaho potatoes and, according to Le Pape, “every single fry is hand-picked to keep length consistent.”

“French fries are very simple to execute, but if you skip one of the steps, you’ll end up with lesser-quality French fries,” Le Pape said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach restaurants offer yummy French fries as side dish or solo